Robert Benton
Robert Douglas Benton (born September 29, 1932) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known as the writer and director of the film Kramer vs. Kramer, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. He had previously written the screenplay (with David Newman) for the film Bonnie and Clyde.
Robert Benton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Douglas Benton September 29, 1932 Waxahachie, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter, producer |
| Years active | 1967–2007 |
| Spouse |
Sallie Rendig
(after 1964) |
Early life
Benton was born in Waxahachie, Texas, the son of Dorothy (née Spaulding) and Ellery Douglass Benton, a telephone company employee.[1] He attended the University of Texas and Columbia University.[1]
Career
In 1959, he co-wrote the book The IN and OUT Book with Harvey Schmidt, published by The Viking Press. He was the art director at Esquire in the early 1960s.[2]
Benton won the Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director for Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) and Best Original Screenplay for Places in the Heart (1984).
Benton garnered three additional Oscar nominations: two for Best Original Screenplay for both Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and The Late Show (1977) and one for Best Adapted Screenplay for Nobody's Fool (1994).
He also directed Twilight (1998) and Feast of Love (2007), and co-wrote the screenplays for Superman (1978) and The Ice Harvest (2005).
In 2006, he appeared in the documentary Wanderlust.
Films
Films
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Bad Company | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut |
| 1977 | The Late Show | Yes | Yes | |
| 1979 | Kramer vs. Kramer | Yes | Yes | Based on the novel by Avery Corman |
| 1982 | Still of the Night | Yes | Yes | |
| 1984 | Places in the Heart | Yes | Yes | |
| 1987 | Nadine | Yes | Yes | |
| 1991 | Billy Bathgate | Yes | Based on the novel by E. L. Doctorow | |
| 1994 | Nobody's Fool | Yes | Yes | Based on the novel by Richard Russo |
| 1998 | Twilight | Yes | Yes | |
| 2003 | The Human Stain | Yes | Based on the novel by Philip Roth | |
| 2007 | Feast of Love | Yes | Based on the novel by Charles Baxter |
Writing/producing
| Year | Film | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | A Texas Romance, 1909 | Yes | Short film[5] | |
| 1967 | Bonnie and Clyde | Yes | ||
| 1970 | There Was a Crooked Man... | Yes | ||
| 1972 | What's Up, Doc? | Yes | ||
| 1978 | Superman | Yes | ||
| 1988 | The House on Carroll Street | Executive | ||
| 2005 | The Ice Harvest | Yes | Executive |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman | Libretto; adaptation in television film (1975) |
| 1969 | Oh! Calcutta! | Contribution in libretto; adaptation in theatrical film (1972) |
Film awards
Wins
- 1978 - Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay for The Late Show
- 1980 - Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1980 - Academy Award for Best Director for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1980 - Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1980 - Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1984 - People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival
- 1985 - Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Places in the Heart
- 1985 - Silver Bear for Best Director at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival for Places in the Heart[6]
- 2007 - Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement[7]
Nominations
- 1968 - Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for Bonnie and Clyde
- 1968 - Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for Bonnie and Clyde
- 1977 - Golden Bear at Berlin for The Late Show
- 1978 - Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay for The Late Show
- 1980 - Golden Globe for Best Director - Motion Picture for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1981 - César Award for Best Foreign Film for Kramer vs. Kramer
- 1985 - Academy Award for Directing for Places in the Heart
- 1985 - Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures for Places in the Heart
- 1985 - Golden Globe for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture for Places in the Heart
- 1995 - Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for Nobody's Fool
References
- "Robert Benton". Film Reference.
- "Honoree Robert Benton dealt with dyslexia before awards". Sarasota Herald-Tribute.
- "Overview for Robert Benton". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- "SALLIE BENTON | Official Artist Website". Retrieved November 14, 2019.
- Communications, Emmis (December 1967). The Alcalde. Emmis Communications.
- "Berlinale: 1985 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- "Acclaimed Screenwriter-Director Robert Benton to Receive Screen Laurel Award at 2007 Writers Guild Awards". Writers Guild of America, West. December 11, 2006. Archived from the original on January 16, 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
Archival sources
- The Robert Benton Papers 1969-1994 (24 linear feet) are housed at the Wittliff Collections, Texas State University in San Marcos.
External links
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